Poison Ivy
by Ashen Tears
Summary: With the Vespers hot on their trail, Amy, Dan, Nellie and Fiske go to Chile, chasing after a mysterious 40th clue. Who will get it first?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was a cold Thursday afternoon in mid-January. Eleven-year-old Dan Cahill, top-secret Madrigal agent, conqueror of the 39 Clues, was sitting on the corner outside Adams Middle School, waiting for the school bus.

He sighed, his breath misting in the air. Of all the luck in the world, the day Sahara Desert froze over just _had_ to be the day bus number 11 got stuck in traffic.

He glanced over at his fourteen-year-old sister Amy who, as usual, was lost in a book that looked bigger than she was, seemingly oblivious to the chill. It looked as if Dan would have to search for another source of entertainment.

Ever since the Clue hunt had ended, school life had seemed too tame for Dan's taste. Within days, he had gone from decoding secret inscriptions on church walls and digging up graves to algebra and P.E. He longed for a twist of excitement.

Just then, he noticed that they were not alone. A man, dressed in a deep green suit and pants, was standing about halfway down the sidewalk. A bowler hat cast a shadow over his eyes, and his mouth was a grim slash in a scarred face.

Glancing nonchalantly in the opposite direction, Dan casually slid back a step so that, even if the man happened to glance in his direction, his view would be obscured by Amy. He double-checked the angles. Perfect.

He picked up a pebble and, aiming carefully, let fly. The rock soared high above the man's head, landing farther down the sidewalk.

The man spun towards the source of the noise, glancing around. That was enough for Dan, who ran in a flat-out sprint towards him. When he was one meter away, he sprang at the man.

His target whirled around as he pounced, grabbing him by the shoulders in mid-leap and setting him down on the sidewalk.

"Aw, man!" Dan grinned. "Almost got you!"

"Good to see you too, Dan," said his great-uncle Fiske.

"Oh, hi, Uncle Fiske!" said Amy, looking up at the sound of his voice. She closed her book and frowned. "You're back early. Weren't you going to be on Easter Island till next Monday?"

Fiske brushed away her questions. "I'll explain once we get home. Eyes and ears are everywhere."

Dan shivered. Cahills don't scare easily, but Dan could already tell that whatever news Fiske wanted to tell them would not be cheerful.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

They heard their apartment before they saw it. Rock music was blaring out into the still evening air. Amy recognized _Arachnophobia_ by Supernova, one of Nellie's favourites.

Nellie Gomez was their au pair and official guardian, but they had been through the whole Clue hunt together, so she almost felt like an older sister to Amy and Dan. She liked music and exotic food, and was the only person to ever be inducted into the Madrigals without being part of the bloodline.

As they neared the front door, Amy realized that it would be useless to knock, so she let herself in with the spare key she kept in her backpack.

Nellie waved at Amy and Dan from the couch. When she saw Fiske, she shouted, "Welcome back! We weren't expecting you so early!"

"Change of plan!" he shouted back. "Turn down the volume and I'll fill you in."

Ordinarily, Nellie wouldn't have considered putting her iPod volume anywhere below deafening, but something in Fiske's voice brooked no argument.

They settled around the dining table as Fiske began his story.

"You know," he said, "that I was at our stronghold on Easter Island, searching for any information about the Vespers. I didn't have much luck in Attleboro and Madagascar, so I wasn't too optimistic, but I did find something."

"Vespers?" Amy exclaimed. "What about them?"

"I didn't say it was about Vespers," Fiske clarified. "Even more risky, were it possible. As incredible as it sounds, it seems there is a _40__th_ clue."

Now it was Dan's turn to be surprised. "How is that _possible_?" he said, waving his arms around.

Nellie was more restrained. "I agree with Dan. _Somebody_ must have known about it. There would have been _some_ hint."

Fiske cleared his throat. "I didn't fully understand it myself." He pulled out a folded sheet of paper from his pocket. "Maybe you can make sense of it."

The three of them gathered around as Fiske unfolded the paper.

June 21st, 1969

I am writing this having made a fantastic discovery – this is possibly one of the most important discoveries in the history of our illustrious family. I believed that Gideon Cahill's master serum would make the drinker as powerful as the four founders, but I was wrong. A hidden lead in a palace in Chile hints at the existence of a 40th clue which, when added to the master serum, allows the drinker's abilities to far exceed those of Luke, Katherine, Thomas and Jane. However, I have only been able to ascertain that it is hidden within the desert. If you are reading this, you must prevent this document from falling into the wrong hands at all costs. If those wrong hands are yours, I fear I am powerless to stop you.

Grace

There was a very long silence.

"My best guess," Fiske said finally, "is this. Your grandmother came closer to discovering the secret of the 39 clues than anyone until you. But she heard rumours of this 40th clue, and decided to investigate further. These attempts failed, but she knew the effects of this clue all too well."

Amy was afraid she already knew the answer, but she asked anyway. "What are the effects?"

Fiske took a deep breath. "Put quite simply, it would enhance the powers of all the branches, making the drinker even more powerful than the four branch founders. It would also make them immune to diseases."

It took a while for that to sink in. "Wow," Dan whispered. "That…that's unbelievable."

"Absolutely," Fiske agreed. "Which is why we must find it first."

"Wait," Nellie said. "Why _first_? Aren't we the only ones who know about it?"

Amy had never seen Fiske look so nervous. "I found this document in a file cabinet," he said, drawing another scrap of paper from his pocket. "This was clipped to it." He held it out to them.

Amy took it and spread it out on the table. A single letter scrawled on the scrap sent an ice-cold dagger of fear into her heart as she realized what they were up against.

V


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After a gruelling 9-hour flight, the Boeing 747 touched down at the Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago, Chile. Amy jerked awake suddenly as the wheels hit the tarmac. She had been reading up on the city during the flight, but somewhere over Mexico fatigue and worry had caught up with her. She glanced to her left to see Dan thumbing the buttons of his Nintendo DS. To her right, Nellie had her earphones in, while Fiske was reading a novel across the aisle.

The captain's voice came across the intercom. "We have arrived at the Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport. The local time is 2330 hours, and the outside temperature is 13 degrees Celsius, or 55 degrees Fahrenheit. We hope you have a pleasant stay. Thank you for flying Aerocardal."

Nellie stretched in her seat. "Thank goodness that's over," she said. "I don't think I want to be in the room when you let Saladin out."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Dan nearly freaked out when the receptionist said that the cost of two adjoining rooms at the Hotel Orly would be 97,000 pesos per night, but Fiske assured him that it was only about 200 dollars.

Dan exhaled, relieved. Once again, the Madrigals had set them up well.

There was an elevator, but Dan decided to take the stairs to the second floor, allowing his legs a welcome stretch after nine hours on the plane. He met Amy, Fiske and Nellie in front of room 208, which he and Fiske let themselves into, while Amy and Nellie into the adjoining room.

Dan ran himself a hot shower, which felt great after 11 hours travelling. In Boston, they had had just about an hour to pack, and then had rushed to the Logan International Airport to catch their flight.

At least the long flight hadn't been a total waste. He had watched _Inception_ and _127 Hours_, had a massive meal of pizza and ice cream, and beaten 10 levels on _LEGO Star Wars_.

But he couldn't focus because of a nagging undercurrent of anxiety. What would they do when they got there? They had no idea where to go, and no leads. It had never been like this on the Clue hunt. They had always had some hints. But now they were starting from scratch.

He sighed and turned off the shower jet. 5200 miles further south, he still hadn't found an answer.

He towelled himself off, then put on a _Ninja Gaiden_ t-shirt and shorts and came out to find Amy and Fiske rummaging through the suitcases, Nellie on the bed and Saladin scouring the room for fresh fish.

"Hey, buddy!" Dan laughed, scooping Saladin up. "I hope the flight wasn't too bad."

Saladin let loose with a barrage of angry _mrrp_s.

"Oh. That bad, huh?" Dan put him back on the ground. "So, anyway," he said to Amy and Fiske, "why are you turning the suitcases inside out?"

Amy made a sour face. "When the concierge brought our luggage, this was tied onto Saladin's cat carrier." She held up a piece of paper.

Dan took the note from her and studied it.

Give up. Your quest will only end in pain and death. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Verse P

"So some poetry society misplaced a horror story," he said, letting the sheet drop to the floor. "So what?"

Amy picked it up and handed it back to him. "This is no poetry society, Dan. I thought _you_ were the puzzle master."

Dan studied it with renewed interest. The message itself seemed fairly innocuous in puzzle terms, but the signature…

Dan began scrambling the letters. It didn't take long for him to get a result.

"Vespers," he breathed. "They're on our trail."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The atmosphere in the rented Ford minivan was very tense.

"Dan, I just don't see it," Amy said, putting down the guidebook she'd been looking at. "Here we are, chasing after something that might not even exist –"

"Of course it exists," Dan snapped. He put the map he'd been studying. "How much proof do you need?"

Amy sighed. "We've been through this before, Dan," she said. "That journal entry could have been forged, it could have –"

"Yeah, and that's why the Vespers are after it," Dan retorted, displaying a real gift for sarcasm. "It makes perfect sense that the most dangerous people on earth would chase something that doesn't exist."

"Cut it out, you two," Nellie said as she turned right at the Almirante Pastene. "At times like this, I wonder how you two managed to even get to Paris."

Amy relented. "Fine. Suppose it is real. Then what? _We have no lead_. Every single clue we found, there was some tangible hint to it."

Nellie pulled onto the Av Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins. "Dan, I hate to admit it, but she has a point. We need some proof that we're on the right track. I know that the La Moneda Palace is the most famous one in Santiago, but there are so many more…"

Dan didn't hesitate. He picked up the guidebook that Amy had discarded, which was still open to the page on the La Moneda Palace. He held it out to Amy.

"That proof enough for you?"

Amy leaned in. The picture in the guidebook showed the public gate, Morandé 80. There was a gargoyle on each side of the entrance which, according to the guidebook, had been added recently.

Amy leaned closer. Not a gargoyle, but a…

"Wolf," she breathed. "Dan, give it to me. There's something I want to check."

Dan passed it over, and Amy flipped through it until she found what she was looking for.

"Listen," she said, and started reading out loud.

"_The La Moneda Palace was designed by Joaquín Toesca. Construction began in 1784, and it was opened to the public in 1805, while still under construction. He was also noted for designing the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral."_

She stopped reading and beamed at him. "See? It all fits! Toesca was a Janus. He must have found the 40th clue! We _are_ on the right track!"

She set the book down on the seat, and was about to close it when Dan grabbed her hand.

"Hold on," he said, picking it up again. He skimmed through the page till he found the paragraph about Toesca's personal life, and started reading.

"_In 1782, Toesca married Manuela Fernández de Rebolledo, a scandalous woman who attempted to assassinate him by poisoned asparagus. She was eventually put in a convent, from which she regularly escaped."_

Amy went white. She hardly dared ask.

"Vesper?"

"Vesper."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Eyes on the prize, guys," Nellie said, as they walked towards the entrance of the La Moneda Palace. "Now that we know that _they_ know where to go –"

"Aughh, I'm getting a headache," Dan moaned. Nellie glared at him.

"- we have to get there first," Fiske finished.

"Okay, then, let's go," Dan agreed.

Amy's first impression of Morandé 80 was…_small_. Rather than a grand palatial gate, it was a simple wooden door with an iron knocker in the middle. A guard stood on either side.

Right in front of the wolves.

Amy grabbed Dan's arm and pulled him away. She motioned to Nellie and Fiske to follow.

"There's no way we can examine those carvings without the guards catching us," she whispered. "We need to hide out in the palace until it gets dark, and come back out after it closes." She glanced at Nellie. "Do you think…"

"On it." Nellie walked back towards the gate, where she had a discussion with one of the guards in Spanish.

"Okay," she said, walking back. "He says the palace closes at 6:30 in the evening. That gives us five hours."

"Quite a bit less than that," Amy corrected her. "We're going to need some equipment. Lock picks, just in case the guards lock the doors at night, and some surveillance gear." She turned to Fiske. "Can the Madrigals hook us up?"

Fiske pulled out his mobile phone and selected a number from the speed dial menu. "What did you think?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_It's almost like we're back in Venice,_ Amy reflected. _What is it with us and crouching on toilet seats?_ For this was the inglorious position she found herself in. She could only hope that Dan and Fiske were in position in the men's room.

As for Nellie…well, Amy counted herself lucky that she hadn't taken out her iPod yet.

She glanced at her watch. 6:23. They'd been there for almost 25 minutes.

She sighed and shifted around. She wasn't sure if she could take another half hour.

_I wonder what Dan's doing right now,_ she thought to herself. _I hope he hasn't gotten himself into trouble already…_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Dan was officially bored. Crouching on a toilet seat for half an hour in the pitch black was not his piece of cake. He couldn't even put his feet on the floor, so he had leg cramps to top it off.

Suddenly, he heard a creak. Light spilled across the white tiles. Dan could see a man's shadow on the floor.

He forced himself to stay calm. Obviously, it was just a routine check-up by one of the janitors. He probably wouldn't even open the doors to check if anyone was there, just scan the floor. He might not even check all of them, and since Fiske and Dan were last in line, they'd be safe. Nothing to worry about.

At least he hoped so.

Just then, he heard a _squeak_ from his left, and a muffled _thud_ about two seconds later.

_Oh, no!_ he thought. _He's actually going to check all of them!_

Dan's mind raced. There were four stalls to his left, and Fiske was in the one right next to him. They couldn't even whisper for fear of being found out, so Dan was on his own.

And that's when he got his brainwave.

He counted off the sounds. He was assuming that each _squeak_ was the sound of the door opening, and the _thud_ was it closing.

There! Again! _That's two,_ he thought to himself. _Three, four…_

Dan slid off the toilet seat and rolled under the left wall of the cubicle into the neighboring one. Fiske wasn't there, so he must have had the same idea. He heard another _creak_-_thud_ to his right as the janitor checked the cubicle Dan had vacated seconds before.

He'd done it!

Dan pulled himself up onto the toilet seat and crouched there. He waited for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, light flooded the tiles once more as the janitor left.

Dan hardly dared move. He checked his watch. 6:50. Ten minutes to go till the rendezvous.

"Are you still there?" came a whisper from his left.

"Yeah," Dan whispered back.

"We should leave soon," Fiske said. "Less than ten minutes till the rendezvous."

"Are you sure it's safe?" Dan said.

Fiske considered. "If we don't rush, the guards will have left by the time we get there. The only part of this place that has 24x7 guards is the President's quarters."

"Okay then, let's get a move on," Dan said. "I just hope Amy and Nellie made it out."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Amy and Nellie were waiting for them at the northwestern corner of the courtyard.

"Hi, guys," Nellie said as they came over. "You made it out too?"

"Yeah," Fiske said. "Had to come up with something on the spot there. How'd it go for you?"

"The usual. Trapped, nowhere to go, some quick thinking on Amy's part," Nellie said. Amy flushed with pride.

"Ohh-kay," Dan said. "Sorry to break up the reunion, guys, but we really have to go. Like, right now?"

Amy composed herself. "Dan's right. We don't have much time."

They crept over to Morandé 80 and crouched by the wall.

"Guards?" Amy whispered.

"I see them," Dan whispered back. "One in front of the gate, one on the road."

"All right, then," Fiske said quietly. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but it looks like it will. Nellie and I will draw the guards away. You two stay here and figure out the secret of the statues. I don't like it either," he added, as Amy and Dan showed signs of protesting, "but there's no way we can do it with the guards still here."

"We can give you about 15 minutes, tops," Nellie added. "If you haven't found anything by then, get a taxi and we'll meet you back at the hotel."

Amy gave in. "Okay, then, but if you're not back at the hotel by 8:30, we're coming back."

"Fine. Now, we've got to get moving," Fiske said.

He crouched down for a moment, and when he straightened up again he had a pebble in his hand. He winked at Dan and, with a flick of his wrist, sent it arcing over the guards' heads into a park across the street. The guards whipped around and, after a moment's hesitation, lumbered after it.

"We'll keep them off for as long as we can," Fiske said, "but you won't have that much time. Go!"

Careful to stay away from the lamplight, the four crept outside, where they separated. Nellie and Fiske crept after the two guards, while Amy and Dan stopped near the statues.

Dan watched them go, and only after they were safely out of sight did he dare speak.

"Okay, Amy," he said, taking charge. "You take the one on the left, I'll check this one."

Dan scanned the statue for any markings or messages, but couldn't see anything. To his left, Amy was not having any more luck.

That was when he noticed the eyes. They were beautiful, made of some sort of green gemstone. Emerald? Dan couldn't be sure. But he _did_ remember that green was the color of the Janus.

He pressed the eyes. They moved easily at his touch, sinking into the stone. Suddenly, the statue divided neatly in two, the halves sliding away from each other to reveal a dark passage. It went forward, then dipped sharply.

"Amy, come here. I found something," he said, a little too loudly.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed through the palace. Dan could see flashlight beams inside the palace.

"Guards!" Amy hissed. "Get inside, quickly!"

Dan slid into the tunnel and began crawling, Amy right behind him. The statue closed a few seconds later, leaving them in darkness.

Dan was terrified. Normally, Amy was the claustrophobic one, but Dan hated confined spaces.

"It's all right," Amy said from behind him. "There's a lever near the entrance. I think that opens the door."

Dan exhaled. "Fine. Do you have your flashlight?"

Amy pulled it from her pocket and passed it to Dan, who flicked the switch. It revealed a small earthen tunnel. They kept going.

After about ten minutes, Dan stopped.

"What happened?" Amy asked him.

"I think I saw something on the wall here," he replied, moving the flashlight around.

Suddenly, a flash of white was caught in the ray of light. "There!" he cried reaching out for it.

"No, Dan, don't!" Amy shouted. "It could be…"

As Dan snatched the paper away from the wall, the tunnel floor crumbled beneath them.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Luckily, it wasn't a long drop.

Amy saw Dan hit the floor ten feet below, before she followed half a second later.

She staggered to her feet. "Dan! Are you all right?"

Dan coughed. "I guess. What happened?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was a trap that Toesca set to protect the Clue. Or…" She didn't finish the thought.

"More importantly, what are we going to do now?" Dan said, panicking.

"Calm down," Amy soothed, trying to reassure herself as much as Dan. "Fiske and Nellie will find us."

She noticed that Dan was still clutching the piece of paper, but didn't ask him what was on it. If Dan wanted to tell her, he would. She settled down to wait.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The flashlight was going dim when they finally heard scuffling sounds from the passage above.

Amy sat up. Now she could hear voices. It _sounded_ like Fiske and Nellie, but she couldn't be sure…

"Oh, I am going to _kill_ them when we find them. I take my eyes off them for a second and…"

It was Nellie, all right.

"Nellie! Fiske!" she shouted. Dan joined her.

The whispers from above stopped. Then Nellie called out, "Amy? Dan? Where are you guys?"

"We're trapped in a pit!" Dan yelled. "Don't come too far forward or you'll fall in!"

"Got it!" came the reply. There was a shuffling sound, and Fiske's face appeared at the edge of the gap.

"I'm going to lower a rope down to you!" he shouted. "We can only take one of you at a time, so if you grab on, we'll pull you up."

He moved away from the edge. Seconds later, a rope appeared.

"You go first, Dan," she said. She was worried that he would have an asthma attack if he stayed in the pit for too long.

"Okay." Dan held the rope with both hands and wrapped his legs around it. It took a while, but soon he was safely back in the tunnel.

The end of the rope came back down. "Now you, Amy!" Fiske shouted urgently.

Once it came to waist height, Amy clutched the rope with both hands, wrapping her legs around it as she had seen Dan do. Soon enough, she had been pulled to safety.

"I'm so glad you're safe," Fiske said warmly. "We were worried."

"Pfft. Understatement of the century," Nellie cut in. "When we couldn't find you, we freaked out. It took us, like, for_ever_ to find the passage, and then you were trapped in the pit, and…well, all I can say is I'm glad Fiske brought his backpack along."

"So, did you find a lead?" Fiske asked.

"Yeah," Dan said. "Tell you about it outside."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Dan didn't let himself relax until they were safely in a taxi and away.

"Okay, then, Dan," Fiske said, "what's this lead that you found?"

Dan unfolded the scrap of paper he'd found on the tunnel wall.

2255S 6812W

El pueblo unido jamás será vencido

"That's _it_?" Nellie said. "You risked your lives for _that_?"

Amy sighed. "Nellie, this is the best lead we've had in this whole search."

"How?" Nellie demanded. "Please tell me why this is so important."

Something clicked in Dan's brain. "Nellie, it's not just random numbers and letters."

He took a pencil from his pocket and began scribbling on the paper.

22˚55' South 68˚12' West

"It's coordinates," Amy finished.

"Okay, I see it," Fiske agreed. "But what does the second part mean?"

"It's in Spanish," Nellie said. "Fairly innocuous as such. It means, 'The people united will never be defeated'. But I have a feeling this is more than just an inspirational phrase."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Half an hour after they reached the hotel, Dan knocked on the door of the connecting room.

"Amy, Nellie – I found it." His voice was muffled by the wood, but the triumph in it was unmistakeable.

That was enough. The two rushed into the connecting room, where Fiske and Dan were sitting in front of Dan's laptop.

"This is our next destination," Fiske said, turning the laptop towards them.

Amy studied the screen. "San Pedro de Atacama." She looked up. "Where's that?"

"It's a small town near Antofagasta, in the Atacama Desert," Fiske explained. "The coordinates match perfectly. We'll have to fly to Antofagasta and then drive."

"I also did some research on that Spanish phrase on the paper," Dan said, minimizing Google Maps to reveal some sheet music. "It's a song by the Chilean pianist Sergio Ortega. That song is the worldwide anthem of popular resistance, whatever that means." He looked up. "Incidentally, Ortega was born in Antofagasta, which is near San Pedro de Atacama."

"Ortega was exiled in 1973," Fiske supplied. "Common belief is that he fled to France, but in 1983 was given permission to return to Chile, which he did several times."

"Also," Dan added, "I have a feeling that he wasn't referring to that popular resistance thingamajig at all in his song. 'The people united' – that has to mean the Cahill branches."

"That's got to be it!" Amy exclaimed. "Ortega was a Janus, probably defected to the Madrigals. After his exile, when he was allowed to return, he must have hidden something in San Pedro de Atacama!"

They considered this for a while. The only other sound was Saladin's constant _mrrp_s as he tried to get someone to notice him. He was not used to being ignored.

"If you need me," Nellie said at last, "I'll be packing."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

At long last, after a 1 hour flight and 3 hours in a car, they were at the final destination.

Dan disappeared into the shower the moment they got their room keys. Three hours with an Egyptian Mau in a cramped Hyundai Accent was not a pleasant experience. Not to mention that he'd gotten a headache from the altitude during the last hour.

He and Fiske met Amy and Nellie outside, and they went down for lunch.

"Any idea where to go next?" Nellie said, sampling a north Chilean soup.

"I did some research back up in the room," Amy said, starting on a bowl of _cazuela_ soup.

"Oh, big surprise," Dan said through a mouthful of silver quinua.

Amy glared at him. "The thing is," she continued, "there are only two historically important sites in this town. There's a museum and a church, but what should we try first?"

"I have a good feeling about the church," Fiske said, sipping his _pajarete_. "It seems more Janus-y to me. What do you think?"

"Well," Amy decided, "we have to start somewhere."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The Church of San Pedro didn't seem like the type of place that would contain a secret that could alter the world. It was a small building made of white adobe, in the typical 17th century style with three doors crowned by an arch.

_Appearances can be deceiving_, Amy reminded herself. _You know that by now_.

The four of them stepped out of the heat of the afternoon sun and entered the cool tranquility of the church. There were rows of pews leading up to the altar, on which light was falling through the four windows. There were three rows of chrome plated niches on the altar.

Amy glanced around surreptitiously. It was a Tuesday, so not many people were around, but that could change in an instant.

"Nellie," she said, "can you keep watch at the entrance?"

"Sure," she replied. "I'll whistle if I see anyone." She checked her watch. "Fifteen minutes, you hear me?" Without waiting for an answer, she strode away.

Fiske looked around. "I'll be at the back entrance. You guys keep looking." He walked off.

His footsteps echoed through the empty church. Amy and Dan looked at each other, and the thought passed from one to the other like radar: _The altar!_

They crept up to the altar, careful to step softly. Even the smallest sounds were magnified many times. Once there, they began to examine the altar.

Amy searched for any markings, buttons or levers, but no luck. Soon enough, her eyes were aching from the effort. She glanced over at Dan, who obviously wasn't having luck either.

Now her eyes were drawn to the niches themselves. Why were they chrome-plated when the rest of the church was adobe?

She walked over and examined them. It didn't take her long to find the secret: the Janus crest was embedded in the base of one of the niches. Without stopping to think, she pressed it.

Suddenly, a hole opened in the altar floor.

Right under Dan.

With a scream, her brother disappeared.

Just then, Amy heard Nellie's shrill whistle from the outside.

_Okay, then, no choice_, she thought. She jumped into the blackness.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Dan didn't panic when the church floor swallowed him up. This kind of stuff had happened so many times in the Clue hunt. Falling into secret traps, discovering hidden messages, nearly getting killed – all in a day's work for a Cahill.

Luckily, when he hit the ground, there was a covering of hay, so he didn't get hurt. A second later, he heard Amy fall beside him.

"Are you okay, Dan?" Amy whispered. "Sorry about that. I triggered it by accident."

He sat up. "Yeah, I'm fine." He looked around, but he couldn't see much. "Where are we?"

"Some sort of secret room," Amy said. "This has Cahill written all over it."

"Got a flashlight?"

"Luckily," she replied, flicking it on.

The room was completely different from the church. Instead of adobe, it was made of some sort of smooth white stone. Marble?

They'd fallen into some sort of wide wooden box filled with hay, which was why they weren't mounds of skin and bone fragments.

But, over the years, the room seemed to have combined with the outside vegetation. Creepers grew from the ceiling and trailed across the floor.

"Amy," he whispered, "this has to be it! This plant is the clue!"

"So, all we have to do is find out what exactly this plant is," Amy reasoned. "Shouldn't be too hard."

Then Dan felt something cold over his right temple. He'd seen enough action movies to know what it was.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Amy swallowed, the vein of her temple throbbing against the gun barrel.

She risked a sideways glance. Their captors appeared to be local thugs. _They must be working for the Vespers_, she thought.

"You will come with us," the one by Dan said. "Now."

Amy didn't say anything. Beside her, Dan was just as silent.

The second man raised his eyebrows. "You can come of your own accord," he said, "or we will force you." He forced the gun deeper into Amy's head. She choked back a scream.

"Okay, okay," Dan muttered. They turned towards the hole they'd fallen through.

And there was their miracle.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Dan saw a rope drop down the tunnel and, simultaneously, a man in a black trench coat and black ski mask slid down.

In less than a second, he'd whirled around, driving his heel into the groin of the man near Amy. His eyes rolled up; he dropped without a sound.

The man near Dan started to bring his gun around, aiming. Desperately, Dan lashed out with a kung fu knife strike to the man's wrist. The weapon clattered to the floor.

At the sound, the man in the ski mask whipped around. Running at the thug, he floored him with a punch to the abdomen and knocked him out with a pinch of the carotid artery.

Dan sighed with relief, but stiffened when the man turned to him. For all he knew, the man had knocked out the other assailants because he wanted to capture Dan and Amy himself.

The man reached up and pulled off the ski mask, revealing a very familiar face.

"Uncle Fiske?" Dan cried incredulously.

"Don't forget me," Nellie said, nimbly sliding down the tunnel. Saladin slinked along behind her.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Dan demanded.

Fiske smiled, ruffling Dan's hair affectionately. "It's part of Madrigal training. Sometime soon, I'm going to teach you."

While this happy reunion was going on, Amy was over by the far wall, examining the vines creeping from the ceiling. "I'm sure this is the clue," she said, "but what is it?"

Fiske walked over and studied the leaves. "I'm pretty sure it's ivy," he said.

"Aagh!" Amy cried, jumping back.

Fiske smiled. "It's okay, it's not that poisonous. Just to be safe, though…"

He took out a small tube labeled HYDROCORTISONE. "This may sting, but it'll prevent rashes." Amy grimaced as he spread it over her arm.

"What do we do with them?" Nellie asked, gesturing at the thugs. "Leave them here?"

"No," Dan said firmly. "If they come out, it'll cause quite a stir. Let's take them out ourselves and leave them on one of the benches." He looked at Fiske. "Can you check whether anyone's out there?"

Without answering, Fiske pulled himself up the tunnel, using the rope for support. He was back down within minutes. "The coast is clear for now, but hurry."

He helped Dan with the first man, while Amy and Nellie maneuvered themselves up the tunnel with his companion. Once at the top, they carefully seated the two on a bench.

Amy dusted her hands off. "You know, it's hard to believe that we've gone from Boston to Santiago to the Atacama Desert in the last two days. I can't wait to get back home."

Dan smiled contentedly. It was over at last, and they could go back to a normal life.

He should have known it was too good to last.

As they left the church, they heard a screech of tires as a black SUV careened towards them.

"Duck!" Fiske yelled, shoving them out of the way as the car shot past them.

"Imbeciles!" Nellie shouted, shaking her fist at the car.

"VESPERS!" Dan yelled.

They could see the car coming back for another pass. Dan could see five of them through the tinted glass of the windscreen, armed with M16 assault rifles.

Dan knew their luck had run out at last. The SUV was too fast for them to run away from, and they had no chance of reaching their own car.

Just as he was bracing himself for the horrible truth, an emerald-green Bugatti Veyron screeched around the corner. The window was rolled down, showing Dan a very familiar face.

"Yo, that's not cool," yelled Jonah Wizard. "Get away from my cousins!"

Jonah's father Broderick stopped the car at the curb. "Get in!"

The four did not hesitate. Amy, Dan, Nellie and Fiske dove inside.

"Now what?" Amy cried. "They're armed! Who's going to stop them from killing all of us?"

Jonah pointed out the window. "Them."

Dan stared in disbelief as the Starling triplets and Alistair Oh parachuted down from a helicopter hovering overhead. Two more cars pulled up to the sidewalk, revealing the Kabras and Holts.

"Let's see," Ian said. "All present and accounted for."

Eisenhower cracked his knuckles. "Enough chitchat. Let's get this party started!"

Sorry, Eisenhower. The SUV's windows rolled down, and machine gun fire strafed the area.

The locals were running now, screaming their heads off. But this was what the Cahills' plan had been. Get the fireworks started, then leave it to the police.

Sure enough, officers ran to the scene, trying to secure the area. When that failed, they opened fire as well, hoping to disable the vehicle. One officer went down with a bullet in the arm, but the police were slowly gaining the upper hand. They managed to blow out two of the tires, but a stray bullet got too close to the petrol tank.

The SUV disappeared into a ball of flames. Even as the police contacted the fire department, they knew it was hopeless. Nothing could be salvaged. It was carnage.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Some time later, all of them regrouped in the lobby of the Hotel Kimal.

"That didn't really go as planned," Natalie said.

Jonah winced. He'd got hit by a piece of shrapnel in the leg and, although it had been treated, it was still hurting. "Yeah, but those guys were out to kill my homeys." He grinned at Amy and Dan.

Alistair cleared his throat. "I think all of us know why you're here, Amy and Dan, so we won't beat around the bush. Did you find the 40th clue?"

There was a tense silence. Even the cleaner nearby stopped mopping, as though he sensed something wrong.

"Yeah," Dan said. "We found it."

Now everyone started clapping them on the back and congratulating them. But they knew that, though this battle was won, the war had only started.

_Bring it on_, Dan thought.

_We'll be ready._


End file.
